Humanise The Numbers - for ambitious accountants in practice

There is a thing that’s been talked about in the profession for decades, something which has never really got traction in every firm in a leveraged way. It works in some firms in a small way and in a very few firms in a big way. It’s that thing called 'Advisory'.  How you move your firm from compliance services to advisory services is an ongoing, almost endless question. And yet, it&apos...

When you're trying to unlock the potential that you know exists within your team, within your client bank, within your firm as a whole, it can feel frustrating that you just can't seem to get to it, you can't unlock it.  In this podcast discussion with Russell Watkins, who's spent 30 years in the lean, process improvement space working with manufacturing and other businesses, w...

We know that recruiting great people and keeping them is a huge challenge for your accounting firm, so how do you stand out from the crowd?  In this podcast with Sherelyn Cowles, Chief Business Development Officer at Gooding Accounts, we discuss how to build a great culture by identifying and articulating your core purpose and values, and by being very clear about how everyone is expected to behav...

What does a succession plan look and feel like from the perspective of those that are buying in?  And once you’ve got that buy-in, how do you actually manage the expectations of your team and your clients, all while finding out yourself what it's like to be a leader?  And when you're up and running, how do you rise above the sea of sameness?  You’ll find out the answer to these questions...

If there's a phrase that encapsulates the content of this podcast discussion with Mark Allen, it would be 'applied wisdom'.  We tap into Mark's several decades of working within the profession, first as a board director of PLCs, then transitioning into a practice leader, starting up and successfully selling a three-office firm, and finally moving into working with networks for...

In the second part of this 2-part podcast discussion with Stephan Meier, world-renowned author of The Employee Advantage , you'll be able to hear Stephan unpack a large number of insights, ideas and strategies that could ultimately deliver a competitive advantage to you and your firm.  So please join Douglas, my colleague, Stephan and I on the second part of this podcast at humanisethenumbers...

You'd probably like to get your hands on a competitive advantage that would lead to the future financial success of your firm, one that would enhance, or even transform, the results you're currently achieving. Where do you go looking for that advantage? Once upon a time in the world of work, it was all about a product advantage or, in the accountancy space, a service level advantage. But...

Chances are that the vast majority of the people in your firm want to do a good job, whatever their role – accounts, bookkeeping, audit, tax or payroll.  They get out of bed every morning to do good work.  But to be successful as an accountancy firm, it's more than just the accountancy services that matter. As valuable as these are, what also matters is the care with which the work is done an...

It's a unique experience to have someone who is in the digital space in a deep way coming on the podcast to talk about humanising the numbers. Getting Dan Cockerton onto the Humanise the Numbers podcast has been an ambition of mine for the last 12 months or so – and we've finally managed to make it work. And it was a bit of a relief that, when challenged about digital first versus human...

It was exciting to welcome Roger Knecht, the president of Universal Accounting, onto the Humanise the Numbers podcast. And I wasn't expecting to have what essentially turned into a 45-minutes sales training session with Roger.  That ultimately is where the value in this podcast actually lies. Roger is so open, so structured, in running through how to construct a sales meeting, a client meetin...

When you come across an accountant who happens to have 900 clients – business clients – and who has a page on his website called The Human Accountant, you can understand why we at the Humanise the Numbers podcast would be interested in having a bit of a chat. It was our great pleasure and privilege to welcome Stephen Paul on this podcast discussion, where we unpacked what really matters to Stephen...

It's such a privilege when you get the chance to speak to a couple of business leaders who founded a firm with nothing just a few years ago – in fact, set the business up during lockdown – and then have grown rapidly since then.  Last year, the business grew by 60%, and the year before by 25%. This year, they’re looking to grow in excess of 25-30% again, possibly more.  It was a terrific oppo...

When you're fortunate enough to spend an hour or so in a deep discussion with two members of the leadership team of a 600-person firm, a team that have profoundly and consistently improved their firm's performance over the years, it's definitely something worth taking seriously.  And that's the case with this podcast discussion with Richard Spofforth and Jenn Williamson from Kr...

It's a rare privilege to sit down with the leader of a top 20, global firm and chew the fat about the way the industry, the profession, is changing.  So it's worthwhile listening to this discussion with Rhys Madoc, CEO of UHY International, and hear his views and insights – from across the globe – that are relevant to your firm, in your locality, as much as they are to the global profess...

It's just brilliant to have a chance to speak to an accountant who has worked in practice – right at the centre of adopting technology – who then moves on to being a provider to the accountancy profession. But rather than being a provider of software services, Billie Mcloughlin is part of the 20:20 Innovation team.  She’s working with a large number of leaders and managers across many firms a...

In business, one thing that's absolutely certain is that a client’s perception of your firm is connected to their expectation of what you'll deliver to them, for them, with them.  In this podcast discussion with the two Richards, Richard Brewin and Richard Bertin, of All In Place, you'll be exposed to some really powerful insights.  Yes, in accountancy, you have to deliver complianc...

Dive into this fascinating episode where we explore how listening serves as a cornerstone in transforming client relationships within the accounting field. Our discussion highlights the extensive barriers created by ego and preconceived notions that prevent accountants from truly connecting with their clients. We introduce the concept of 'holding space,' a practice that necessitates genu...

It's clear that, if you want to grow your accountancy firm, you need to master the art (or indeed science) of marketing and communications.  On this Humanise the Numbers podcast discussion with Hayley Plimley, Marketing and Communications Director at DGH, Hayley's been party to a journey from one office with a team of 60 people to 10 offices with a team of 568 people, in just four years....

If you - as a leader of your team, your department, your firm, even - want to build a profoundly successful business, you'll want data at your fingertips. You'll want the data that enables you to make the best decisions and that will enable you to grow the business that you've got in your mind's eye.  As well as the data, you'll want to better appreciate how to grow and de...

Stop thinking that return on investment is what drives the financial performance of your business, and start thinking that return on humanity is the ultimate starting point, the foundation of the success of your accounting firm.  This is the subject of Philippa White's book, Return on Humanity . In this podcast discussion, Philippa dives into the practical, tangible skills necessary to build...

It’s sometimes easy to become distracted with the bells and whistles, the proactivity and the value-add of the way you serve and work with your clients and, as a consequence, you can lose the need, the essential need, of delivering brilliantly at the basics.  This podcast with Jolawn Victor, Chief Growth Officer of Go Cardless, got me thinking (and will likely do the same for you) about the basics...

I recently had the great privilege to spend an hour with a business leader who had sold their business just a few days before, after 22 years.  That business started in their bedroom, and they built it up over time to just short of a million-pound turnover – a modest-sized business, but what an insight into client care and how you create a business that works brilliantly with three grades of clien...

What must it feel like to leave a promising, high-flying career with a leading firm and start up your own firm – to hand your notice in and, six months later, kick-start your accountancy firm with one client? Well, that's exactly what Kat Wellum-Kent has done. She set up Fractional Finance and has grown that to a business with a fairly clear vision of building a £5 million turnover business i...

There’s something very remarkable about the work accountants can do to transform the lives of their business owner clients, transform the results of their business, and feel a sense of pride, satisfaction and passion for the work they do.  On this podcast discussion with Andrew Botham – accountant, business owner, guide, consultant, whatever label you want to give him – Andrew tells a handful of s...

When your clients feel at home, they tend to want to stay at home. That's a statement by James Butterworth, a tech and advisory specialist from the VIP team at Croner-i. In this podcast discussion, I was surprised by how this conversation moved to a place where we discussed how a better understanding of the client and what they want, as well as tax law and the way you manage your clients&apos...